Laetoli Footprints

Uploaded 01/22/2010

A line of hominid fossil footprints, discovered in 1976 by Mary Leakey, is preserved in powdery volcanic ash from an eruption of the 20 km distant Sadiman Volcano. Soft rain cemented the ash-layer 15 cm thick to tuff without destroying the prints. In time, they were covered by other ash deposits. The hominid prints were produced by three individual